The third quarter of a year typically precedes the announcement of a new iPhone model from Apple, and as such it is often the slowest quarter in terms of sales, as many customers put off buying a new iPhone until the upgraded device is launched.

Moving to larger smartphone screens such as those offered by the iPhone 6 is thought to have helped Apple recapture market share from its competitors, as the likes of Samsung had already begun to add such products to their portfolio.

Mr Cook said the Apple Watch – which went on sale from April 24th – has made a very strong start.

However, detailed financial results were not made available due to concerns rival manufacturers would be given too much inside information as a result.

Revenue from "other products" – which includes the Watch and products such as the iPod and its Beats headphones – came to an estimated $2.6 billion – an increase of around $952 million compared to the previous quarter.